Germany's population will shrink to as few as 65 million people from a current population of 82 million in the next 50 years due to a low birth rate, the Federal Statistics Office said in a forecast for the year 2060 presented today.
Germany's population has gradually declined in recent years, with women bearing an average of only 1.4 children. Roderich Egeler, president of the statistics office, expects the downward trend to accelerate.
"The decline in the population will become more pronounced," Mr Egeler told a news conference in Berlin.
There were 162,000 more deaths than births last year, the office pointed out. It predicted that in 2060 there would be between 527,000 to 553,000 more deaths than births each year.
The office also forecast that 14 per cent of the population will be 80 or older in 2060, nearly triple the five per cent now.
Reuters